Buttercups

[naomi24]

Does anyone remember a game from childhood where a friend would pick a buttercup and hold it under your chin to see if it went shiny? I can’t remember what a shiny buttercup was supposed to mean. Anyone?

[237SJ]

As I remember, if the buttercup reflected yellow on your chin it meant that you liked butter.

[naomi24]

Ahhhh. That’s it! Thanks. A beautiful field strewn with thousands of buttercups triggered the memory.

[237SJ]

And then there was the grass that you could put between your thumbs, blow and make a loud whistle.

[naomi24]

You had to split that grass lengthways to make it whistle didn’t you?

I remember making daisy chains.

[237SJ]

Well, it was tricky trying to get the grass in exactly the right position. I remember daisy chains too. And there was a weed that grew in meadows that had a sort of head on it and you could wrap the stem around the head and ping it off like a projectile. Can't remember the name of it. Happy days.

[naomi24]

Yes! White or pinkish flowers - trumpet shaped!

[237SJ]

The one I remember had a little head a bit like a miniature bullrush (about 1cm). I`m not sure if it had a flower before it became the head.

[237SJ]

Just found it. It's Ribwort Plantain.

[naomi24]

I don’t remember those. I remember you could pop the trumpet flowers out by squeezing the bit beneath them. They were some sort of vine I think.

[237SJ]

I do have a vague image in my mind of that but I`m not sure if it's the right thing.

[naomi24]

Maybe someone else will be able to enlighten us.

[Tilly2]

We heard a cuckoo today. It was cokooing away like mad. That means that we will live at least 'til this time next year.

[Tilly2]

Don't remember putting projectiles around my head???

[237SJ]

The trumpet like flower wasn't bindweed was it?

[Tissy]

The trumpet flower was bindweed and we used to say "Granny Granny pop out of bed" then pop the flower out.

[rowanwitch]

And the seed pods of Himalayan balsam would fire off like gun fire if it was ripe....

[jourdain2]

And your fingers stank afterwards rowanw..
Trying to tell the time by blowing the dandelion 'clocks'. We loved making daisy chains. I didn't realise until I tried to help the little girl next door to make one (when I was in France) that they make them a different way - she was very pleased to discover the 'English' daisy chain and showed-off to her friends. :)